During handling and transportation packages are subjected to a variety of abuse. Often the packaging selected by the shipper is inadequate resulting in damage to the goods being transported.
One class of goods which are frequently transported are diagnostic specimens. Specimens must be sent from rural points to regional laboratories in major urban centres for testing. With some types of diseases a further specimen must be sent to national laboratories. Of the millions of diagnostic specimens transported every day, a portion are potentially infectious.
The recent outbreak of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, commonly referred to as "AIDS", has raised concerns about the adequacy of existing practises for packaging diagnostic specimens. When the diagnostic specimen being shipped is an infectious substance inadequate packaging can present a health hazard to transport company employees and the public at large. Packaging is not considered to be adequate unless it is capable of meeting the standards developed by the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods. The problem at present is that almost all known methods of packaging fail one or more of the key testing areas established by the United Nation; namely, drop testing, puncture testing or leakage testing.